


Written in the Fabric

by Heartofhubris



Series: Written [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Boss/Employee Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, alcohol abuse in c 7, rating may increase, slight gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22574107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heartofhubris/pseuds/Heartofhubris
Summary: Nathalie Never believed in soulmates. Even though her parents had the marks, she never found her way into the belief. Now, of course, the ink on her skin was wrong. There was no way... Because he had someone else's name on his back.
Relationships: Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Series: Written [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/773628
Comments: 85
Kudos: 97





	1. J'ai cherché

Nathalie clicked the calendar app closed, leaning back in the car, Guillaume driving the car with the usual care and caution that he always did. She felt safe leaning back in the car, eyes closing for the few minutes that she was able to. The sway of the car, the slow accelerations and deceleration soothing her worries. 

She had no idea what was happening anymore. She had started helping Gabreil as nothing more than wanting to get a paycheck. These days? Her personal and professional were mingling much too must to be considered one or the other. How could it be professional when her emotions were so muddled? She wanted nothing more than for Gabriel to be happy, for him to find his way in this life and bring Emilie back. It was what he wanted, or so he said. 

Nathalie hoped it was what he wanted. She had never seen him take more than twenty minutes for himself, with no motive other than to take the time for himself. She only really got these moments, in the car between places, and half the time, she had to still work. She was just glad that Guillaume didn’t want to talk, and that he preferred the silence to fruitless conversations. 

Her head rolled slightly, cracking her neck, and trying to work out the knot in her muscles. Gabriel would have never offered her the miraculous if he had another choice. He wanted to revive Emilie, Nathalie had no illusions about that. She knew that she would be pushed aside when Gabriel managed to get Emilie back. She didn’t know how it would go. The clearest thing in her mind was that she would help, regardless of where it landed her. She leaned forward slightly, stretching her arms well, itching a small spot on her back. 

She would never admit to anyone just how hard she had fallen for the fashion designer. He was more than anything she had seen before. More than just beautiful and stylish, Gabriel was steadfast and loyal, confident and didn’t take no for an answer. He didn’t care about the Logistics, so long as it was done and in a manner he could control. Thankfully, he trusted in the right people, such as herself, to actually do that which was needed. 

With the few minutes she could spare up, Nathalie sat back up, only to start answering emails on her phone, what she could. Granted, there was a minimal amount she was able to answer, before she was back at the mansion. A moment to collect herself, and she got out, knowing Guillaume was immediately going to pick up Adrien from class. 

In the sunlight, her reality was impressed upon her, and she walked up the steps to find her place, behind Gabriel, smoothing his plans over, and making sure everything between his lives was seamless.


	2. Something Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a Pinterest Board now yo  
> https://www.pinterest.com/Louiseschmal/written-in-the-fabric/

“Go, my little akuma,” Gabriel said, his cane tapping the ground, decisive. “And evilize them!” Nathalie almost snickered, but her intense professionalism didn’t allow her to. Instead, she maintained her professionalism, standing back in the corner just in case he needed her. She couldn’t see what was going on, only he was allowed that opportunity, and even that sometimes didn’t work. 

Her lips pressed together, hearing his words. She really hated how many people got hurt when he did this, but she knew that there was little she could do. If she was here, there was a chance she could help with the pain that would undoubtedly be caused. If she wasn’t… There was no way that she could be sure that he was safe. So, she sat in the back corner of the room, her hands in her lap, an Ipad with the news up, watching Nadja start her report on the akuma. 

Of course, Nadja didn’t know that it was due to someone being ignored by her friends. It was always the most bitter of emotions, being ignored for those who were louder. More confident than she, her friends had ignored her words and ideas, making it very common to be the reason. 

The french were notorious for being too emotional, after all. Chat and Ladybug took care of this one much quicker than normal, it seemed that the new villains they kept creating were less and less powerful. Or failing that, they seemed to be less and less intelligent. 

“Sir, it’s time for Adrien’s photo shoot.” He didn’t say anything, as normal, so she went ahead and left, hurrying a little, to find Adrien. Naturally, he was in his room, his mirror out so he was able to look at his mark. 

“Adrien,” she said, offering the smallest of smiles as she pulled up his calendar on her tablet. “You have a photo shoot today. Are you ready to get going?” His frown was clear as he got up from his counter, looking like his limbs weighed a thousand pounds and each step caused him pain. 

“Yeah,” he responded, grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. 

“Is something wrong?” Her heart couldn’t help but ache, seeing the pain he was feeling. He really did live with his heart on his sleeve, a complete foil of his father. Though she wanted to offer him a hug, she knew that wasn’t her place. 

“Have you looked recently?” His words shocked her, and she tensed, knowing exactly what he was asking. Adrien only had a mind for a few things, and he was constantly focused on finding his love. He always held such romantic notions, after all. She couldn’t fault him for wanting what he thought his father had lost. 

“No.” 

“Oh.” Just as obviously as she had tensed, and as obviously as Adrien had been sulking, her composure was reinstated, a straight back, neutral expression, and silent. Granted, that only lasted a few moments, as she spoke up almost after his coat was on. 

“Are you ready?” He nodded, moving over to her, but he stopped further away than normal. 

“Do you want to look before we leave?” He looked at her with joy in his eyes, hopeful and clearly curious. Nathalie looked slightly uncomfortable, when he asked that, and it’s clear that he saw just a little bit of discomfort on her, even though she normally was so very good at hiding her emotions. “It’s okay, Nathalie,” he then said, not allowing her to respond. It was a small blessing, ensuring she wasn’t forced into something uncomfortable. “It’s going to take too long. We’re going to be late anyway.” 

“We can look at yours again, when you change, at the shoot,” she offered, as they made their way out of the house. They would have to, with what this product was. Whatever Chloe wanted, her father would procure, and this time, it seemed to be a makeup that could fake the mark of a soulmate.

“Okay,” he said, displeasure on his voice, loud and clear. Nathalie was much the same, and in the car, they drifted into an uneasy, uncomfortable silence. Neither of them wanted to say a word, and break the silence. There was no easy way to actually tell one or the other how they felt about the marks, and how they both felt as though they were cheated. Adrien, for not having one, and Nathalie, for not having found 

Nathalie pulled her tablet out, to check some figures again. 

“We only will have to be there for an hour,” she then told Adrien. “Your friend, Chloe, will be there as well, as you know.”

“I know,” he responded. Nathalie didn’t say another word, worried that she would make matters worse. She did care for Adrien, that wasn’t a question, but she really had no clue how to help him, sometimes. And, this was one of those cases. Instead of responding, her voice fell silent, waiting next to him until they were at the park that they were meeting the photographer in. 

Once there, he went over to get correctly fitted, as well as his makeup done. The mayor was near Chloe, and though he tried a few times to speak up and chat with her, though she was courteous and calm in her responses, she was straight to the point. He had little influence upon Gabriel, or her own, comings and goings. He wasn’t even smart enough to try and track her or Gabriel. It wouldn’t be too hard… If he was half smart. 

Of course, just as Nathalie had trained herself to do, her eyes instantly snapped over to one of Adrien’s friends, Marinette, she believed, who had fallen down, upon seeing Adrien’s shoulder. Children were so obvious in their crushes, that was for sure. Her fingers opened a note in her tablet, noting that particular interaction. Perhaps that anguish could be used to their advantage. A lot of hearts would break, as well. She sould be able to resurrect Catalyst, allowing a horde of angry girls to try and find Adrien. A contest could almost be held, if Gabriel was willing. First to get the miraculous won Adrien’s hand. 

She couldn’t help her soft laugh, a private joke to herself. 

She knew that would turn out to be nothing. Gabriel loved his son, and Nathalie would be honest that she loved Adrien as well. Adrien was a good son, and diligent in his studies. He did everything he would need to do to make his father proud of him. Of course, that is if Gabriel noticed such things. 

Nathalie watched the photoshoot, noting that though it was a very good fake at first glance, it wasn’t going into the skin. Permanent markers would allow almost the same quality, but with the water being splashed on Adrien, it did prove to be highly water resistant. The next time they had a swimsuit collection, Nathalie would have to look into getting some product for their fashion shows. 

“Adrien,” Nathalie called out, walking up to him, extracting him from Chloe’s arms. 

“Daddy-kins!” she soon ran away, and Adrien got a little more comfortable. 

“Would you like to stay for a little bit, Adrien?” She smiled at him, knowing that Gabriel wouldn’t be done with his work for some time, leaving them both some time.

“Doesn’t father need me?” 

“Not anymore.” She couldn’t hold in her smile when he lit up, though she did manage to hold it until he ran to his friends. They only took a few moments to jump into the pool, even Marinette. She knew it was only for a short period of time, but something with his friends would be better than nothing, right? 

**_____________ **

In her defense, she hadn't planned tonight. She had poured herself a stiff drink, and she had been intending for that to be the only one. She knew that heightened emotions would be risky with Gabriel always on the lookout for them. But one had turned to two, to four. She was on her sofa, Duusu flying near her, looking around her objects and commenting on them. Her fingers played gently with the broach, feeling the cracks, unwilling to let go of it. Gabriel had given it to her for the simple fact that it would be smarter to keep them separated for now. 

It didn't remove the temptation she felt. 

Her mind was addled by the liquor, that was certain. Her fingers felt numb, she always was a lightweight. The good thing was, her emotions were also numb. She knew better than to make a senti-monster and try a plan without Gabriel. She, unfortunately, wasn’t smart enough to not transform in general. 

"Duusu, Transformez-moi.” She felt the rush of power, spreading through her body. It was more intense than she had ever felt before, allowing her no more than a sudden gasp, and her back arching. Nothing was stable, from her vision to her head, and her hands flailed just slightly. Her grip was much more powerful, denting the sofa’s back. She shouldn’t have done this. It was clear the second she felt the slice of pain through her chest, even as she felt the power increase. Her eyes slammed closed, and she forced herself to focus on calming down. Another rush of pain, another slice, and all emotion and energy left her. Faintly, she heard Duusu’s voice, somehow. 

She could only see black, and then, she couldn’t feel anything. 


	3. Stolen Dance

Nathalie could still feel the liquor in her body, still. She hadn’t sobered entirely up yet, but she heard a small, trilling voice. Her head was hurting more than she ever had imagined it could, from that amount of liquor. The pain didn’t stop her shock, however, when she looked down to find red covering her chest. Thankfully, the blood had stopped. Her breathing was ragged, but thankfully, it all seemed to have healed to the point everything was scabbed over. She felt her hair loose around her head,it must have come out of the tie during the day.

With careful movements, Nathalie sat up, shallowly breathing. She was struggling to breathe even still, and her limbs were shaky. She finally tuned into the trilling, her eyes opening and blinking a few times. 

“-oh, Miss Nathalie! You were lucky I managed to get out- you are so very hurt! I tried to-”

“Duusu,” she said, holding out her hand, to allow him somewhere to alight, and calm down. 

“Help you, but I don’t know if what I did was correct, humans are so different!” Duusu landed on her, the tiny weight nothing to her.

“I’m okay,” she said, trying to assure the small creature. 

“Oh good!” He rose up and spun slightly, before falling back onto her hand. “Please don’t do that again Miss Nathalie!” She offered a very tired smile, and brought him to her cheek for a moment, a sort of hug, before getting off her sofa. She could see the blood on the fabric, and that certainly wasn’t desirable. She’d have to find her cleaning product, and hope it wouldn’t stain too badly. She had no assurance of if it would. 

Her walk to the bathroom was slightly stumbled, and she grabbed a fresh rag on her way there. Her fingers were quick to open up the clock app on her phone, and a fresh wave of fear entered her when she saw it was nearly one in the afternoon, and she had nearly fifty missed calls, nearly all from Gabriel, a few from Guillaume, which was a massive surprise. She figured they could last a little bit longer, until she cleaned herself up.

The rag was dirty soon enough, and she soon had it correctly bandaged, with her first aid kit. She had just slipped her shirt on, a black knit, high necked shirt, as well as some clean pants, when she heard the knocking at her door. Fear seized her, and she ran back to the living room, trying to cover the blood on the sofa. 

"Duusu, hide." When she was sure he had, Nathalie opened the door, only to see the one man she didn't ever think would be there.

"Gabriel," she said, backing up a couple steps. He took the motion as an invitation to step into her apartment, seeing nothing out of place other than the half full wine glass and the blanket thrown carelessly over the sofa. 

"Nathalie, you never responded to my calls." 

"I apologize, sir." A lie. Something, anything to keep the suspicion off of her.. What could she say? "I have been fairly sick all day, but I was just about to head into the office to make up for the missed time." Gabriel moved closer to her, his eyes narrowed, searching her. 

"You know you need to call in by 9 AM to have a sick day.” 

“I’m aware, sir.” She forced her breathing to be paced normally, knowing that he would only become more concerned over the pain she was in. “As I said, I was going to make up for the time I missed.” 

After a few moments, Gabriel moved his hand to her shoulder, gently squeezing it. 

“Take the day off. You’ve been straining yourself between my needs, and the company. One day won’t ruin anything.” He smiled a little, a rare sight for her to actually see. She wanted to say more, but forced herself to bite her tongue. “You do deserve some normalcy,” Gabriel then assured, and with how close they were, how nothing else felt real, though that may have been to the loss of blood, Nathalie was slightly shocked when Gabriel moved his hand to cup her cheek. Her eyes closed of their own accord, and though she wanted nothing more than to press into his hand, to tell him what happened the night before, she couldn’t. Her body, stiff as could be, turned away from him, to move over to the sofa, sitting where she knew her blanket could still be safe. She pulled her hair back over one of her shoulders, hand moving to her chin.

“Thank you, Sir,” she said, her voice suspiciously casual. “I’m sorry for making you worry.” His eyes were glued to the floor, unable to look at the man who was trying to get her attention in small ways. Without her looking, Gabriel gave into some curiosity, looking around her apartment. To his surprise, it was mostly bare in the living room, save for some of his least popular designs. They all were sleek, conservative, but showed everything the eye couldn’t see. 

“What is this?” He asked, looking at her, his hand gesturing to the frames. 

“My favorite designs,” she admitted, leaning back on the sofa. “Even if they didn’t do well. They’re elegant, but I didn’t get to them in the production.” She smiled ruefully at herself. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m not being professional.” 

“You’re not working,” he pointed out, but it did make him realize he should straighten. 

“Is there anything you need before I leave?” A moment of thought, and she shook her head. 

“That’s my line, sir. But, no, thank you for the offer.” A complete lie. If he were to do anything, she knew that she would feel the fire burning inside her would only find more to use for fodder. Her heart wouldn’t be able to handle falling further for a man who was bound to another. She wouldn’t be able to accept that he would never be hers. 

“Get better,” Gabriel said. It seemed, even without his words, that he was worried. He knew the signs that lead to his wife’s demise. Nathalie just hoped that it was so long ago that he wouldn’t connect the dots. 

Of course, Nathalie was a lot stronger than Emilie. Emilie had already succumbed by the point Nathalie was at.

“Thank you, Sir,” Nathalie replied. Her eyes didn’t meet his, and the last thing she heard from him was the door opening and closing. 

It took the click for her to feel herself steel. She took off the shirt, unwilling to have the shirt stained with blood, even if it was black, and it wouldn’t show. 

The shirt coming off showed the horror of what the magic had left, and she was hit in the face with how terrible it was, again. Her eyes closed, and she stood up, quick to the bathroom. She didn’t have to clean it any further, but today and tomorrow would be interesting to say the least. Yet, when she was carefully stretching her arms after brushing her teeth, she saw something she hadn’t thought to look for. 

_ Gabriel Agreste. _

She was more than familiar with the signature on her shoulder. It just was because she saw it on papers constantly. Oh, no. She was broken. The broken miraculous broke  _ her _ . She never thought that this would be how it happened. She did love the man, that was certain, but he had someone else's name on his shoulder. She wasn't going to find anyone. She always banked on the fact that she would get an attainable name. She sat down, shaking just slightly. 

This really wasn't what she needed right now. She sat down on the edge of her tub, her head moving to her hands, knees supporting her elbows. Nathalie focused on her breathing for a few minutes, until she was stable again. 

She stood up after a few moments, grabbed a soft towel, and moved to her bed. That was all she could make it. But, her phone was still in her hand, and she plugged it into the charger, setting the towel down, spread out over where her chest would lay. She wanted to be careful about the cuts opening, after all. 

The dating app was downloaded in moments, and the profile was set up in a short time longer. She decided to do just a little bit of work, even though she was technically sick. She had a lot of her work on her cell; it was important to keep up on her tasks, or she would be drowning in her catch-up work the next day.

Yet, whilst she was working on it, her phone dinged with a notification. She already had a match on the dating site, and after only a few moments, they started to talk. Her mind was distracted from Gabriel when she focused on this new man, Markus. Apparently, they had actually met before, when she had been Gabriel’s surrogate legs at a different fashion event. He had gotten her a drink that night, though she had slightly hated herself in the morning for not having been professional. 

The hours continued, and before long, they both signed off, and though Nathalie wanted to sleep with darkness in her head, she found herself thinking of Gabriel, and his hands on her shoulders, what she imagined his arms must feel like around her, his lips against hers, and their bodies tangled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this ain't a bait and switch lmao


	4. Talk is cheap

It had been a while since Nathalie had been sick. He still was clueless as to what had been wrong with her, a simple hangover didn’t explain it. He would have felt if she had gotten that drunk, after all. It was vastly more likely that she had indeed gotten the flu, or lost her voice. Holes kept popping up with whatever theory he tried to apply, leading him to shelving it within his head for the time being. 

He carefully moved a cocoon from the branch it had formed on, fingers steady and careful, not wanting to injure the delicate object. Usually, this work shuts off his mind, allowing him nothing in his head other than the care of his butterflies. His head turned up, looking at what could only be called a coffin, his wife perfectly preserved in the glass. Emilie was everything to him, she had been for years. They had done such good and such intense magic before she had been hurt. 

He wanted her back. It had consumed him for the last year though he only got some of the tools recently. The thought of his life without Emilie made him unable to function, sometimes. 

But, he knew that even if he got her back, Nathalie wouldn’t be able to leave. He didn’t allow himself too many nights of thinking of how his life had changed since Emilie had left. She had held him in place, tethered to her heart, always having a home, but now that Nathalie was in his life, he found things had changed more than he would have wanted to. His life seemed to be more stable than ever, but he still managed to find himself happy. The whirlwind he had with Emilie was quite, his life was structured in some form. Nathalie ensured he had the easiest time for everything allotted to him, whilst still enabling him to have time to create. 

Everything just seemed much smoother than before he had hired her, which would come to be expected, but there was something special about Nathalie. He had had assistants in the past, but there seemed to be something different about her, and the way she simply was. She seemed to aid everything he did in some for or another. More than her job, it seemed as though she wanted to do it. 

Not to mention, she had been putting herself in harm’s way, just for him to get his wife back. She was giving up her health for nothing in return, He wouldn’t say he loved her, he was married, after all. He wasn’t going to be unfaithful to the woman he swore an oath to, before the state and God.

But damn it all, Nathalie made it harder to hold his word than he had ever thought possible. The chance of loving her, at love that meant something, as opposed to a good business deal. Nathalie meant more than something to him, after all. Nathalie made more than business sense, even if he wasn’t allowed to admit that. He had never considered the idea of courtly love with anyone new; who could move on from the person who made you feel alive? 

Nathalie would be the best option for him. Nothing about her made him unable to do what he wanted, nor made him unpleasant. Nathalie was everything he needed in life, smart, intelligent, beautiful. He couldn’t hope for anything better. He could just hope for the opportunity to get to love Nathalie. It was the one thing he wanted as much as his wife. 

Gaberiel did love Emilie, once upon a time, and he knew he couldn’t just abandon the woman who helped him through his most difficult times in his life. She may still be alive, and he wasn’t going to stop until every option was exhausted first. He wanted what was assured before he wanted what could be.

  
  


Nathalie should have known a day off wouldn’t have lasted. In her defense, she normally didn’t take them, but with all the errands she had to run, plus the tattoo appointment she had set up, she didn’t really have a choice. She’d almost finished her shopping, but the phone she always had ‘dinged’ on her, and though she was expecting her current beau, her heart skipped a beat as it normally did, when she read the name. 

[Incoming text: Hawk] N, the order isn’t working, and we have a problem with our last one. I need you here asap. -G

Naturally, Her sigh was suppressed, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get there quick enough, and she had been using public transportation. At least she had finished the tattoo already. It took a little longer than she had wanted, and it ended up being a lot larger than she wanted, but it would still be covered when she was wearing her work outfits. 

[Outgoing text: Markus] Will you pick me up from work at 5?

She sent him the address, only to hail a taxi, her purchases all able to stay at room temperature. Thankfully, she had the tattoo done by now, and she felt the skin rubbing slightly, but it was a pain she was used to. The largest issue, of course, was not being professional whilst at his house. That, and her tattoo would be showing. Her fresh, skin still red, tattoo. 

Her phone opened, camera on, so she could look at the tattoo. The scarring she had in the center of her chest was mostly hidden, at least. The vines that connected the roses together weaved over the deepest of the scars, and the smaller scars were woven into the flowers on her chest. Overall, elegant and simple. And hers. She just hoped it wouldn’t reopen. It had only just closed up enough for her to no longer be injured, and the ink to be laid in. 

Nonetheless, she needed to focus more on concentrating on work. She adjusted her shirt a little, trying to get it done up to her neck, but the buttons didn’t quite reach higher than her breasts. The tattoo, and some of the scars, would be on view for Gabriel. She didn’t want to focus on that too terribly much, though. 

He didn’t need to know how injured she really was, after all. And, that wouldn’t change. She wouldn’t allow him to know the extent of her pain. That would kill her more than she was willing to allow him. 

No matter her words about her love of him, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to allow herself any luxury with this man. She got lost in her mind, thoughts of the man who wore suits better fitted than she had ever seen, who’s fingers knew just what fabric to pinch and where to place the thinnest of needles. There was nothing in her that craved more than the desire for his hands on her, anywhere and any place. 

“Ma’am? We’ve arrived.” He looked at her in the rearview mirror, and she nodded, paid quickly, and got out with her groceries. Not enough to bog her down, at least. Her steps were sure as she walked into the building, forcing her confidence she always had when she was in this building. She had no intention to break her streak at this moment. 

Nathalie opened the doors, and was quickly in his office. 

“I apologize for my attire, sir,” she said, not looking at him. 

Of course, in doing that, she missed the stunned look from him. He had only ever seen her in her normal pant suit, hair up, and the fact she was currently wearing jeans that went up half her calf- and was that ink on her calf- and a blouse that was open more than what would be ever acceptable at this kind of work, which showed her new mural on her chest. The roses and vines twined beautifully on her skin, almost seeming if it was three-dimensional. She was clearly less comfortable than normal, and he couldn’t deny that the yellow brought out the deepness of her hair, whilst the green vine made her red streak pop out even more. 

“You look very nice,” he said, as she logged into the computer.”

“Thanks. Being fashionable is in my jeans.” She couldn’t help her small laugh, yet it stopped when she heard his full, deep laugh. It naturally tapered off, and he met her gase, a surprised look on her face. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked, brow furrowing slightly. 

“Sorry, yes, sir. I just don’t think I’ve ever heard you actually laugh before…” Yet, she smiled a little, and turned back to her desktop.

She was already pulling up forms, working to fix the order he tried to do. It was a mess, and she had no idea just how removed he had been when he tried to put this in. The thought crossed his mind that he may have been drunk when he did it- nothing made sense in this. Different types of fabrics, then different shades that didn’t seem to match at all. Her brow furrowed, as she saw one specifically out of place piece. 

“Sir, can you come over here for a moment?”

“What’s wrong?” he walked over to her, his hand moving to her chair, something he would do with Emilie when they were together, but he didn’t even think of his action. 

“I just… Don’t quite understand why you got this specific fabric.” She looked at him, barely needing to move her head. Another startle for her, seeing how closely he was. He moved his hand to her upper back for a moment, looking at the screen. 

“Markup design,” he responded, and gently rubbed her back before backing away, almost as if he had been burned. It was clear he realized just what he had done. Nathalie decided to take a small risk, though she knew it could backfire. 

“Thank you… Sir.” she intentionally glanced over him before looking back to her work. 

Gabriel did see the look, and as he was walking back to his desk, he heard her phone ding with her text notification. 

Of course, he couldn’t help his eyes drifting over her until it hit 5, and she had everything fixed. She had stood up, and gotten her bags. 

“Good night, Nathalie.” There was a small pause before she responded. 

“Good night, Gabriel.” 


	5. Left hand Free

Today had been nothing but stress, but that was how many of these events went. Her eyes moved over the decorations, all perfect as could be. There was nothing she could offer to them, even with how serious this was. Everything would be perfect for Gabriel, and that was her standard. It was clear that she had met them, as always. 

She was already in her car on her way back to his office, when she started to type on her phone again. She was currently working on some Emails she needed to respond to, to call it a night. She wanted to do nothing but spend the evening with her current distraction. He couldn’t even be considered a rebound partner, as she and Gabriel hadn’t even been a pair. God she wished she had been with him.

Her mind disappeared into thoughts for only moments, and she looked down at the screen again. The stress must be weighing on her more than she realized. Gabriel already knew the statistics he needed to know, and she was more than aware that his pride was wounded too much after Chat and Ladybug beat them this last time to try for a few nights. 

It almost felt as though her back was burning as she opened her phone, texting Markus for a few moments. Gabriel had given her the night off, once everything was set up, after all. Her eyes closed for just a moment, feeling the car moving as she drove with Guillaume. Her eyes snapped open when she felt the phone vibrate in her hands. 

[Text: Markus Clemons] Early night you say? How about dinner, wine, and a movie?

[Text: Nathalie] Thankfully, he’s giving me the night off. I think I’d die if he made me stay tonight.

[Text: Nathalie] How about we order in? Thai?

[Text: Markus Clemons] I’ll be at yours in two hours, with Thai.

He was just the distraction she needed for tonight, thankfully. Her lips folded into a faint smile, glad that he would be there for her. 

[Text: Hawk] Where is the Inventory?

And, the moment was gone. She wanted nothing more than to help him, that was for sure, but loving him was only hurting them both. She was the broken one in their relationship, after all. Only a moment was taken to recollect herself, to respond. 

[Text; Nathalie] On my desk, top drawer on the right, Sir

[Text: Hawk] It’s not there.

Oh he was almost a child sometimes.

Her fingers moved over the screen again, though she was forced to hurry and finish the text without seeing who it was sent to. Her photo was much more of an adult nature than she’d normally send. The caption, of course, didn’t help. “Can’t wait to see you tonight.” 

Her mind switched back into work mode, however, once Guillaume stopped at the mansion. 

“Thank you,” she said to him, and was her normal. She was quick to move into the office and locate the inventory, as requested. Unsurprisingly, it was right where she had said. 

“Sir?” she called out, unable to locate the man she was in love with. Naturally, he wasn’t anywhere her voice could reach, and she knew he wasn’t with his wife, or the butterflies. It was too close to the event. 

The last place she decided to look was his room. It wasn’t a place she often was in, but he was never indecent when someone other than he or Adrien were in the house. Her voice called through the door to him, to see if he would allow her in. 

“Come in,” she heard him call, knowing her voice well enough to know exactly who it was on the other side of the door. She opened the door after a moment, to see him slipping into the ornate, but tasteful suit jacket, a beautiful maroon with black pinstripes. She almost froze for a moment, seeing him in the outfit. He looked so handsome, but she would never be able to see that. It was clear that he had just gotten out of a shower, and he was in the middle of collecting himself. His hair was still wet, and she watched a drop of water drift down his neck, wetting the collar of his shirt. He rarely was this frazzled. She refrained from any response, professional as always. She cleared her throat, and offered him the report. 

She had moved to him to hand over the slim file, and upon inspecting his coat, she couldn’t help brushing off a piece of lint. Her action wasn’t even a thought in her head until after she had done the action. 

Yet, it seemed to shock them both, the small action. They pulled back, each with a cough Gabriel was the first to recover, looking at the file in his hand. He couldn’t deny the tension he was currently feeling between them. 

“Are the decorations in order?”

“Yes, sir. I just had a final check on them before returning here for the report.” She opened her tablet to show him a few photos of the venue that she had managed to snap. “As always, everything is prepared to your specifications. There is one more thing, sir. I wanted to remind you that I will not be at the gala tonight.”

“I will need you there for an hour or so, then you can go.” His words almost felt like he meant something else, but she couldn’t allow herself to read into it. 

“May I ask why, sir?” It was the most she could allow herself to say. Anything more would be an unwarranted hope. 

“I need you there,” he then responded, offering nothing for her. Yet, there was hesitation before he responded. 

“Yes sir.” She’d have to message Markus to see if he would be able to pick her up from there, instead of at work. “I don’t have anything to wear, and traffic will be too bad to retrieve something from my apartment.” 

“I have a few options for you.” She couldn’t see that his eyes had a certain light, almost an excitement. He adjusted his jacket again, and motioned for her to follow him to her workshop. She was steps behind him, silent as always. 

Yet, once there, she couldn’t help her eyes following the lines of the dresses. His current line offered plenty of deep colors, with nothing bright. It had been a staple of his designs since he had lost his wife. The fabrics were beautiful, as always, and her eyes were drawn to a beautiful black velvet dress with a full back and velvet covering her torso. Her scars and marks would be entirely covered, at least. The skirt fell in a beautiful, simple line, to the floor.

“How about this one?” Gabriel asked, showing her a red dress with an open back, and an uneven skirt. 

“I think that shows too much skin for me, sir.” And wow, was it a lot of skin. The question on her lips didn’t pass, wanting to ask him why he would ask her to wear that. She walked over to the dress that caught her eye, and she noticed it would hug her arms to her wrists. “What about this one?” He walked over to her, looking at the dress. His fingers moved the skirt, showing a slit of red fabric. 

“I think this one will match you perfectly.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Nathalie noticed just how close he had moved to her, after a moment. There was some tension in the air, that was certain, and she moved her vision from the dress to him. She barely even wanted to breathe, or move. It was clear that he was of the same opinion, just by his actions, or lack of. 

She knew she couldn’t make the first move with him. If she did that, she would be overstepping her position, and ignoring the fact that he had his responsibilities. 

Her thoughts were abandoned, however, when he took a step to turn his body, his hand moved to her jaw, tipping her head up at the correct angle, and his lips were on hers. His hand slipped into her hair, and she moved her hands to his shoulders, unable to help pressing to him. 

Nathalie’s world was consumed by Gabriel. His scent, his hand ruining her hair, whilst his other hand was suddenly on her waist. His chest was strong against her, and his lips fit against hers so perfectly. Her hand moved from his shoulder to his jaw, her lungs screaming for air much sooner than she had ever imagined they would. 

She forced herself to break it, taking a few steps away from him. Her heart was on fire, that was for sure, as well as the rest of herself. 

“Nathalie, I’m sorry.” His voice was not himself. “I didn’t…” 

“Sir, you don’t need to apologize. I’m not going to steal you from Emilie. You say you're still in love with her...And I won’t be your waste of time, nor will I be greedy.” Her hand clenched, though her other one moved to her lips, touching them gently for just a moment. “You made a promise, Sir. I can’t let you break your promise to her.” She paused, and bit her lip. “I’ll get dressed, sir.” She moved to carefully take the garment, to go change. 

“Please return it tomorrow,” Gabriel said, before leaving her. She felt the distance between them grow, and she pressed her lips together, forcing herself to get dressed. 

* * *

Gabriel waited for her in the car, clicking through some items on his phone. His finger hit the home screen and he felt a wave of guilt upon seeing his wife looking up at him. He took a breath, and opened his photos, to change it to his son instead. Adrien was still in his life. He wasn’t going to lose him, nor would he stop his work on finding his wife. He knew how much she still meant to him… But his feelings with Nathalie weren’t going to change.

He couldn’t admit his feelings to her. She was vastly too important to him to say the thoughts on his mind. He closed his eyes, only to hear the door open. Nathalie carefully arranged herself, and the dress, on the seat next to him. He glanced over at her, but it didn't’ stay a glance. 

She had taken her hair down, and it seemed she had some extra makeup in her purse. He didn’t want to think of the reason she had extra makeup in her bag. The thought of her having a date, or any reason that she’d need it, didn’t help him. 

But she looked beautiful. All the shades of red matched up well, even the red lipstick. Every inch of her looked beautiful, covered as she was. He knew his design well enough to see just how every inch of her was defined well. He cleared his throat after a few moments. 

“Guillaume, we’re ready.” He had to force himself to look at the headrest in front of him, forcing his composure back into himself, though the drive took much way too short of a time.

He got out of the car ahead of Nathalie, only to open the door for her, as he should. He only held her hand long enough for her to get out, but that was about it. He could feel her hand hours later. 

Of course, she was smooth as could be with directing everyone where they needed to be, and when speeches started, he couldn’t help his eyes following her to the door, and a tall and sturdy man walked just into the entrance, his eyes widening in surprise. It was clear it was a reaction to how Nathalie looked. 

He had seen this man only once before, the day that he had picked Nathalie up. Multiple feelings floored through his body. Longing, desire, and mainly, jealousy. If he had been much more clear headed, he was sure he wouldn’t have hesitated to akumatize himself yet again. But, the feeling of doing something he did most often with Nathalie made the idea hurt more than it should have. 

He was distracted the rest of the night, ideas forming. Actually doing the actions hurt, but the plans were different, as it was something that he often did by himself. He would just need Nathalie to agree once more. The good thing with this plan, of course, was that Mayura wasn’t needed. 

Yet the bite of seeing her disappear with a man was more than he could have ever imagined those actions hurting. Nathalie wasn’t his, but it was almost as if he was seeing Emilie disappearing into another man’s arms, but even more of an intense cut than that. 


	6. Kiss Me

Gabriel saw just how his plan would go, in his head. Nathalie had agreed, this would be the one that allowed them their goal, his Emilie, back in his life. In his mind, he had it figured out to the seconds. 

An Akuma would be created, for Nathalie. 

Nathalie would get the power of persuasion, as she was used to being told no. It wasn’t super uncommon, with this industry, and her gender. A way was easy to figure out, for in order to gain that power. 

It honestly only took nine and a half minutes to get to the eiffel tower. 

They knew the Eiffel Tower was where her stand would be held. A plea to Ladybug and Chat, to help her. To give her their miraculous. 

From there, she would return to him, with their miraculouses. 

He’d fix her in just a few moments. 

She’d be fine; Nathalie would still come home. He knew it. 

They’d planned for a lot. Perhaps too much, but they hadn’t planned for what actually happened. He thought Akumas could only go into objects. He had never had one do what this had done. It hadn’t taken home in an object, a totem. The Akuma flew right into her heart, taking her over, instead of the small ring she had in her hand. 

“Nathalie-” he started, but his words were cut off when the black rust flaked from her body, Nathalie totally changed. She almost looked like she had been touched by a cataclysm. 

Her skin had lost all color, leaving skin more white than paper. Her body was covered in a thick yet flowing dress. The neckline cut short enough to show the only color in her body, which came from some jagged, red lines on her torso, over her heart and wrapping around her sides. Her face was nearly entirely covered due to a draping hood, only her lips showing. Wings then unfolded from her back, forming a small halo around the hood, until they beat down twice, as powerful as Gabriel’s senti-monster. When she lifted, the lines on her chest started to bleed, red starting to marr the white.

“Gabriel Agrest,” she started, her voice multiplied by many, varying tones and timbers bouncing around. 

“Nathalie, what are you doing?!” He looked up at her with fear, for what she was doing, and what she may become. Her words continued, however, as though he hadn’t even spoken. 

“My name is Claremonde, and I have come to fill the wish you have been striving after for so many years. Your devotion to your wife has called to me, making me unable to leave, though I knew I should.”

“What do you mean?” he stepped back, not even thinking to drop his powers down, just yet. And yet, his words didn’t stop her.

“You have strove for a life for your son, for you, for your wife, filled with love and security. I know the pain you have faced through these years, as I have stood by your side, your silent support. I have aided you in the ways I have been able to, yet I know now that I could do nothing as Nathalie, nor as Mayura, nor as Catalyst, but as Claremonde, you will wish and hurt no more. Nothing will be out of your grasp, as your troubles shall become mine, your fears will have no way to hurt you, or those you care about. I will only save you this way. I will only be able to save you this way." Her head cocked a little, and her barely visible lips twisted to a smile. “I have always loved you, Gabriel; you have meant more than you ever will know. I am always going to be your servant. I will always be here for your call.

"Gabriel Agrest, your prayers have been answered. Your wife will awake, and be as she was. If she stays that way is up to you, and your son." Claremonde landed right next to him, her hand moving to cup his cheek. She smiled a touch, hovering at what would be eye level with him. "You will see your wife again." 

Gabriel watched as Claremonde once again hovered in the air, too high for him to touch. All of the butterflies around the room came to her, each alighting onto her body. She was gone in a new shroud of white, until they burst away from her, and Emile slowly drifted down, landing on her feet. 

Her eyes opened to see Gabriel, only for her to stumble forward. 

"Gabriel…" he quickly was at her side, arms around her, pulling her close. He pulled her tighter than he should've, and after a few moments, her arms were around him as well. "Gabriel, where am I?" Her hands moved to his shoulders, pushing him back slightly. "You're home. Our home. Emilie, you're back." He felt his heart swell with joy and love, arms tightening again. 

She moved her arms around his neck, after a few moments. 

"Where is Adrien?" She softly asked the question, leading Gabriel to lift her up. 

"Downstairs." He set her down on the platform with him, and she turned away from him, moving out of the office, her hand in his for a few moments. 

"Adrien!" She yelled out, waiting to see if he would come. And, she heard his feet patterning after a few moments. "Gabriel, come along!" 

* * *

"Gabriel…. I know I was gone for some time. What exactly happened when I… left?" 

"Nothing! I took our miraculous back here, home, and only thought of the ladybug and Cat miraculous, hoping it would grant me my wish… it was an Akuma, and Nathalie, who gave you back to me." She was behind him as he washed his face, having brushed his teeth. 

"That isn’t all that happened, is it?" Her voice was as delicate as shattered glass; one wrong whisper and she would shatter. He turned to her, very clearly concerned. 

"Emilie, what is it?" He carefully moved to her, his hands moving to her elbows. "Is something wrong?" His voice showed concern, and Emilie backed up slightly further. She wasn’t allowing herself to be in arms reach of him. 

"Don't lie to me," she replied, voice breaking due to disuse, again. 

"Emilie, I'm not lying to you." 

His voice was hard, not really allowing room for argument. 

"Have you seen your back?"

"Not recently, since I saw your name, all those years ago." He took another step closer, arms out until she backed up. His hands fell to his waist, before moving onto his hips. "I dont think anyone checks after they get it, it won't change." She pointed at the hand mirror on her side of the sinks, and after a few moments of seeing if she was serious or not, he walked over and looked at his back. A new name replaced the one that was there. Emilie was nearly gone, though the light shade of her name was still there. Instead, Nathalie was showing over the faded ink in his skin. "Shit," Gabriel whispered. 

His wife didn't even want to love him despite the lengths he had taken. Despite the lengths he had gone through, all for her.


	7. quand quand quand

Claremonde was seen more than one would have expected her to be. She wasn’t terrorizing anyone as other akumatized persons had. She offered nothing but protection and wish fulfillment. Soon enough, she was nicknamed the Guardian Angel of Paris, in no small part thanks to her appearance. Even if someone didn’t know her actual name, they knew her by her new moniker. 

She could feel anyone yearning. Oftentimes, Ladybug and Chat would see her on the Eiffel tower, resting on the very top of the antenna, almost meditating. She was listening to those in need, regardless of how trivial the desire was. Children often found their wishes for sweets filled with more than they ever could have eaten. Parents were able to limit the amount, but not remove the candy. Homelessness was virtually eliminated, with anyone who needed a house suddenly getting an application to bid on houses, and any kind of payment they needed to give suddenly, without question or suspicion disappearing, as well as applications for jobs or government assistance forms appearing in their mailbox. 

Even if someone did start to question it, they found that their trains of thought soon turned to fog, and no one could even get close to explaining the power and magic behind her. No one ever suffered, and all the houses she had found for these people were from large banks that wouldn’t miss a single house. Or a dozen. No one’s coffers lost anything they couldn’t spare, and the economy never suffered. 

Of course, the only people who did need to be afraid were those in power. They were the only ones who came home to see problems. It wasn’t uncommon for those who chose poorly were met with distressing sights and situations when they would return home. No one was hurt, of course. Claremonde wouldn’t allow such a situation to arise in her presence. Everyone was taken care of.

One specific politician had come home to find hundreds of copies of the same paper, ‘Le Monde’, stacked all over his living room, and Claremonde sitting in the only clear chair in the entire house. Her red markings were almost pulsing, growing as she was softly speaking to him. 

“Your vote will be against the proposed bill,” she said. Her voice had changed from what he was expecting. Hundreds of voices spoke at once, all tones and timbers, unwilling to stop their overlapping. “You will ensure that this bill passes.” she stood up, her wings unfurling around her, spanning one wall to the other. “You will convince whoever needs to be, whoever holds out, that they will, that they must vote for it to pass.” she picked up a newspaper, offering him the ability to clearly read the headline. 

“Popular French Politician Filing for Bankruptcy." Much smaller below it, his name and "Quoted as saying his marriage had taken a hit as well." 

"This is slander." 

"This is Le Monde's cover, tomorrow, if you will not agree to my terms. 

"You can't do this." Clarmonde smiled at him, and set the paper down, pulling her hood down, behind her. It was clear why she normally held it up. There was no type of gore, that was certain. Her eyes had turned a vivid red, with red veins falling away from them. Her head seemed to be missing fat, almost as if she hadn't eaten in weeks, and she seemed to be missing something from her. He was unable to pinpoint just what it was that set her off from a normal person, but there was something about her that felt foreign, as if she was an alien. 

"Get out of my house," he proceeded to demand. 

"Then the paper will run."

"I'll deny it."

"Who are our people going to believe?" she questioned. "The man who is set to cut benefits to the average Frenchman, or the guardian angel to every man, woman and child?" Her man moved to his cheek, cupping it for a moment. She was ice cold. "Don't disappoint me." A pat, and she moved her hood up, wings behind her. She dissolved into a flock of butterflies, before disappearing entirely from his vision. 

* * *

He had never wanted to see Markus at his house, much less the one place he normally saw that man; in Nathalie's arms. He was trying to offer his normal appearance, firm and unyielding. 

"Where is she?"

"i'm sure I can't possibly be aware of what you're talking about."

"Where is Nathalie?!"

"I could ask you the very same question," he responded, in the middle of a new piece, and barely paying attention to the man fuming in his office. "My assistant was always punctual, and eager to work until you arrived in her life."

"Don't you dare put this on me. You know what was on her back."

"I will have you know that I, indeed, did not know until she went missing." He set the pen down. "It is why my life left me, however. Should I ask you why you are barging in, after seeing her shoulder? I may be a wealthy man, but I am in no way able to make someone disappear without their consent." That punch left a mark that didn't heal for nearly a month.

* * *

Gabriel felt the liquor, thick down his throat. The frozen bottle offered no comforts, nothing to offset the burn he was experiencing. He could still feel her in Paris, but he couldn't feel the akuma. It almost seemed as if she had merged with his butterfly, her soul taking the power of the akuma over. He could still feel her... Every action.

He didn't want to, if he couldn't hold her, and feel her body shift against him. That's how he wanted her, more than anything. 

It had taken him a while to know and accept that. Emilie had made him realise that. Nathalie's name taking over hers made him realize that. There wasn't a single aspect of her that he had wanted to lose. It was true, that you didn't know what you had until it was too late. 

Nothing about him had stayed the same. Not even his son had stayed after Nathalie had left. His son had gotten married, to an up and coming fashion designer. He had given his blessing, but that was only after Adrien had followed him into his lair, and figured out who he was. Ladybug and Chat hadn't taken long to realize who it was that was akumatized, but when they had tried to fight her, she hadn't fought back. She spoke with them, better than he had ever seen, and calmed them down, only to offer examples of how she was using her powers not for a gain of power, but instead to better the lives of those around her. THey had no argument to that, of course, as everything she had been doing, was things they had been wanting to do, and striving for. 

Nathalie was everything he could have ever wanted in a woman, and she had been next to him, through all the years of looking for his wife and trying to find that which he had lost. If he had gotten out of his own stupid fucking head for more than two seconds, and actually focused on the people around him, maybe he would have realized. 

And maybe if he had focused on his son, he could have realized that he was fighting with his son, and putting him in such terrible danger. 

More of a burn down his throat, as he tipped the glass back, the mansion dark. Guillaume walked into the room he was in, and knelt next to Gabriel. 

"Sir, it's late. You should go to bed." 

"Go home. It's past the end of your shift." 

"Not until I know you're safe." He looked at Guillaume, and closed his eyes, covering them with his hand. 

"I am in my own house, am I not?" His words were slightly slurred. 

"I'm taking the liquor, sir." And, he did, locking it up in a place Gabriel didn't have access to. Ironic, as it didn't even leave the property. If he had any energy that wasn't focused on the last of his drink, he without a doubt would have fought, but he found himself slowly starting to slip into sleep, drowsy and fighting to keep the memory of Nathalie in his head. Her beautiful face, her tattoos he had only gotten the pleasure of seeing once, and what he imagined his mark to look like on her back. 

* * *

"Gabriel Agreste," he heard, hours later. He jolted up, though a wince was offered from his lips moments later. He had all the liquor through his body, but it burned a hole in his head. He was unwilling to open his eyes for a moment, but when he did, he nearly fell out of his chair. As it was, he stood, slowly, as if he was dreaming. His hands moved to reach out, but they stopped short centimeters from her skin. 

"Nathalie," he whispered, almost as if he was in awe of her showing back up. 

"I thought I had granted your wish. I thought you had been happy. I gave you what you and your son had been yearning for, for over a year. I offered your home and life back to you, did I not?

“Emilie left me,” Gabriel whispered, half slurred, half surprised.

“I can create a copy, if you would like,” Claremonde responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"I don't want her." 

"Was she just a toy to throw around?" Her voice held no malice, no judgement. 

"I want you, Nathalie. Not Claremonde." He felt the hopelessness return, and he slipped down to rest on his knees, head moving to press into what normally would be her stomach. His hands moved to her hips, knowing just how inappropriate it would normally be.  "I made many mistakes throughout my life. The largest is allowing you to take the akuma and leave my life." He felt, more than saw, her hands reach up to her hood, and he saw the edge of it lower behind her back. 

Her hands were ice cold when she moved the tips of her fingers to his chin, pulling his face up to look her in the eyes. He was struck by just how well she had transformed. Eyes the color of the strip in her hair, it was nearly hard to look at.

"You have not lost me." 

"I have," he responded, voice breaking. He was nothing more than the shell of the man he had been before, with her. "I need you back, how you were before I realized my mistake."

"I am here when you cry for me," was the response. His tears were falling freely, now, and she wiped a few of the drops away. 

"Not how I need you. I don't need the benevolent savior of paris. I need my soulmate back more than anything. I need the woman that I forgot about and ignored, and ended up pushing away. I need you, Nathalie. I love you." The words stuck with her. 

More accurately, the words struck her, forcing her to back up and let go of him. 

"I... I'm not that anymore." The confusion was clear in her voice, and her hands moved to her face, covering it fully. Gabriel followed her, on his feet, to catch her if she fell. 

"No, but that's who I need." His arms moved around her waist, and her hands moved to his biceps, grabbing on harder than he could have ever imagined. He would withstand any pain she could dole out, if it meant he'd get a chance at having her back. 

Unlike normal, when someone lost their powers, she didn't come back in a cascade of oily bubbles. Instead, the parts of her that were void of color slowly came back to her normal coloring, though it was clear that it was being fought. 

"I'm the savior of Paris, those who yearn and who help those who need it."

"I need saving, but I need Nathalie. Claremonde will not help." He pulled her to his body, tightly. "Claremonde has done all she can. Nathalie has a lot she needs to finish helping with." At his words, she collapsed, her normal appearance entirely back. He never thought that he would enjoy seeing such color in her cheeks, fabric with more than white on her body. He was careful to hold her in only the most proper of places, a hand under her knees and a hand behind her shoulders. 

He placed her on his bed, under the covers, but didn't remove an article other than her glasses. He kissed her hand, that was all, and moved next to her on the bed, over the covers, praying she would wake up in the morning. 


	8. When the summer Ends

Liquor always offered him relief, a burn to remind him he was still human, trailing down his throat and falling into his stomach, the cool liquor offering greek fire in his belly. He was the only one in the house awake. He wasn’t the only one in this room, however. He was watching Natalie's body, seeing her breathe and be calm. Her mind had a lot to work through, from the moment she had accepted the akuma into her heart, to his admission of love just shortly before she had fallen into this. He knew that he really shouldn’t have told her what he had, but he did what he thought was right at that moment. 

* * *

“You don’t have to leave,” She heard behind her. His voice was whispered, husky, full of warmth and sleep. Gabriel’s lips pressed to the back of her neck, his arm over her back, at her waist. He was hovering over her, his warmth starting to leech into her skin. 

They were laying the wrong angle to the bed, currently, and his hand slipped off the bed, onto her back, gently rubbing the skin and her muscles. She softly sighed against the bed, her arms cradling around her head, not willing to move an inch away from him. She felt like she had been running for miles and was finally allowed to lay down, tiredness permeating her body. She could still feel the sweat drying against her overheated skin. 

Her eyes were barely open, looking out the sunset, the red slipping from the center of the sun out to the edges, morphing into a purple she only could pin to Hawkmoth’s suit. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been out of this bed for any measurable amount of time. Somehow there was always food when she was hungry, and the bathroom wasn’t too far away. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, as she had Gabriel and he had her. She had no need or desire to leave him, after all. 

She continually felt like she had always been in this bed with him, and that it was the first night with him. His hand felt so new yet so comfortable against her back. The kisses he had been pressing to her body only had the power of a partner who had continually been with them, offering love, for years. How much time had passed was inconsequential, now. She didn’t seem to care, nor want to care. 

She felt him move his hand up her back, along her spine, then back down, to her thighs. His lips were slowly moving over her spine, and she couldn’t help her soft sounds coming from her lips at his pressure. She almost sounded like she was purring. 

“I could make years of lines, just based on what I want you to wear.” His lips were gentle again, words murmuring against her skin. “And then years of what you inspire me to create.” She offered another content sigh, before yawning, rolling around in his arms, facing him again.

This had to be what heaven was, wasn’t it? Warmth, but not too much, brightness, but not so much it hurt, and love. Unconditional, unrepentant love. 

He ran his fingers along her spine, his lips moving to her throat. Her head moved back slightly, offering him the room to kiss and press into her, when his fingers moved from her spine where he knew his name was, in her skin. His lips moved to her chest, over the ragged scars she had. The ink in her skin was contrasted against his lips. She could offer no better feeling than what she currently had. His body was the only thing she could focus on, pressing against her skin. She looked directly at him, love in her eyes, softly blinking and trying to focus on him. She yawned, but smiled at him, stretching her arms above her head. She felt like she should be looking at the clock soon, trying to figure out when they needed to start their day. It just was so hard with how drunk these feelings made her. She never thought that she would feel such bliss in her whole life. 

Yet even the thought of looking at the clock, something that she normally needed to do regularly, felt stilted and uncomfortable for her right now. Something didn’t feel right in her life, and it wasn’t that she couldn’t remember how long her and Gabriel had been together. 

Yet, his kisses on her chest forced her to start to think. Why would she be like this, with him? He was perfect to her. Her mind was sharp and on point. And she didn’t remember him in her life. She really didn’t want to ask the question on her tongue. It was dangerous, even if it only was her wondering how long she was going to have the pleasure of him with her. 

“How long do we have left?” Her hand moved up from the bed, weighing every ounce of a tonne, for her hand to move to his cheek, cupping the skin that had just a slightly rough stubble on his cheeks. 

“Why does it matter, when we have these moments together?” She smiled at him, with a small laugh. HIs lips moved to press into her palm, before looking at her and resting his chin against her again. 

"I just want to know how long I have to enjoy this." Yet, when she said the words, matched with looking at him, she was surprised to almost see his face glitch, a cackling, evil version of him appeared for just a moment, before disappearing. It was enough to make her jump up, snatch her hand away from him, and move at least a foot away. She looked extremely confused at him, the cackle echoing around her head, unrelenting. 

“Gabriel-” was on her tongue, but he was back to normal, concerned and slight confusion on his face. 

“Let me worry about that,” he whispered to her, softly. His voice was raspier than before, speaking of his over indulgence of cigarettes during school, to help with the stress he had felt. Even still, the sound of his voice calmed her down immensely. She sighed, ignoring just how wrong it felt to be in this bed with him. She was in his arms again, her back to his chest, as they both looked over the sky. Nothing felt real, but for moments like this? She didn’t really care. Everything felt right, even if nothing felt real. 

Nathalie shifted slightly, curling her side to him, eventually, and moved her head to his chest, playing with the soft spattering of hari. He softly sighed in contentment, at the feeling of her pressing to him. 

She was unwilling to let him go, intent on keeping him close to her body. She didn’t want to know just how long she had been ignoring her responsibilities. With her in his arms, she really didn’t care, either. 

She knew that it had been too long, and that none of this could actually be real. 

Nathalie knew that she was going to need to fight. She just didn’t know what against.

* * *

He heard screams, first. He could only say he was certain that it was full of despair, and overshadowing that, pure pain. It was almost as if the creature was feeling both emotional and physical pain, coursing through its veins and muscles. It sounded like a creature was watching it’s cubs being lost, forever taken away from her. His eyes snapped open seconds after it started, crashing through his dream of him, Nathalie, and Adrien. Not that he was complaining, they had been at a fair, or a show, and he had been watching as he was once again powerless to stop the scene in front of him, the horror that had arisen. 

He didn’t even need to scan the room for long, seeing Nathalie starting to curl up into herself, the pain vocal and physically expressed. 

He was next to her in only a few more seconds, pulling her arms down to her body, unwilling to let her hurt herself, and Guillmre was soon in the room as well. 

“Grab her legs!” he yelled, and the beast of a man was soon holding her down, wrestling with her. 

The screams soon stopped, soon followed by her screams at finally ending, only to turn to sobs. 

“Leave,” he half growled at the other man, and though it was clear that he didn’t want to, he did. Her arms were let go of, as he pulled her body against his, softly offering words of positivity and support, reminding her that she was safe, he was here, and she didn’t need to worry. Her nails finally started to claw into her chest, not even sure of what she was doing. He wasn’t going to allow her to be hurt. He wasn’t going to allow her to be hurt. He was only going to hold her and make sure she was safe, and she had someone to come back to. 

Once she finally calmed down and stopped pressing her nails into his chest, Gaberiel moved her back to rest on the pillow. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she nodded, looking around the room. It was similar to what she had seen before, but this time, everything had sharp corners and actually looked in focus. She could concentrate at last. 

“Yes,’ she whispered, her voice no longer the magnified one from before, but absolutely in pain. 

“You’re safe,” he promised her, intense in his conviction. He was still on the bed, and after a few moments, a look of revulsion appeared on her face, and she moved her foot to his hip, pressing him away through the blanket. She wasn’t going to let him touch her. 

“You were there,” she whispered, eyes unable to look at him. “You were there and… We…” she couldn’t let herself finish the words. She shook her head, seeing that her hair was loose, just like in her mind. Was that the right term for that? A dream, her mind… Some dreamscape? Was she in the Duat? Anything could be possible, really. 

Her foot was pressed against his hip, still trying to get him away, and he got up, letting her dictate the situation for now. The blanket was quickly pulled up to her chin, fear in her eyes and a full distrust in her eyes. The expression broke his heart, unwilling to let her hurt. He was just glad she wasn’t trying to hurt herself, or him, anymore. It was only for that reason and that she had wanted him away that he moved. 

She slowly seemed to be coming back to herself, some fear disappearing. 

“Nathalie, everything’s okay. You’re safe.” Her eyes short to him,trying to see if she really could trust him, that she was safe. Her eyes shot around the room for a few moments, before the blanket lowered. The marks on her chest showed, from where she had hurt herself before she could have been stopped. His face didn’t falter, didn’t glitch like it had before, and she at last tried a test. 

“What time is it?” Gabriel was concerned, when he heard that. 

“Why does-”

“Please. What time is it?”

He paused for a second, stood to look at his phone, across the room, and found the time. 

“3:20 in the morning.”

“Where’s Emilie?” Nathalie asked, her eyes once again unwilling to meet his. She took a deep breath, ready to hear that she was still in a coma, or something just as grievous. Even if she refused to look at him, however, she looked every inch the hurt bird, and his heart called out to her, unwilling to let her hurt further. 

“Not here, anymore.” He looked away from her, just as she looked at him. 

“Where is here?” she whispered, next. Her eyes moved to the window, seeing leaves beautiful colors of reds and yellows, clearly well into fall. The last time she could remember was early spring, with blooms just starting. 

“You’re at the Mansion,” he responded, as measured as always. “It’s October fifteenth,” he then explained. The answers she may need started to come from him, timed as well as he could. “You’ve been Claremonde for five months, and you were in a coma for the last month.” His hands covered his face, knowing that he was the reason she had been so. And, they had no idea just how long it would take for her to return to normal. “I can only assume the Akuma had flown directly into you, making you unable to be separated until you were ready to seperate. We couldn’t do anything.” A shaky breath, and Nathalie laid back more comfortably in the bed. Her body stayed under the sheet, her fingers moving under the cover to her scarred chest. 

“Who did I hurt?’ she whispered, her voice more vulnerable than ever before, clearly scared at the response he may end up giving her. 

“No one,” he whispered. “You did…” A deep breath. “Such beautiful magic. You helped anyone who yearned, anyone who needed the help. His fingers were laced tightly in his lap forcing himself to refrain from surging forward to hug her, hold her, kiss her. He knew that if he didn’t force himself to stop, he certainly would be against her. She needed time, and he was going to offer her the most that he possibly could. 

He knew it wasn’t the correct time to do that to her. Perhaps this is what she had felt for him, all this time. 

“I did?” her voice was soft, and when she looked at him, he nodded. “Where’s Markus?” she then asked, suddenly worried again. 

“I don’t know.” his words were honest, though he didn’t want to admit more. “He had come to the mansion one night shortly after your change and asked where you were, but I was honest and told him I didn’t know. Which I didn’t at that time.” Nathalie sat up in the bed, wincing at the strain in her muscles, as well as the strain on her chest. At least he had cared enough to come to her, if only for a few moments. She’d been gone far too long. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had moved on. They’d barely been together that long, after all. 

Yet, her eyes weren’t able to look directly at Gabriel. She was appearing to gain her normality. 

“You’ve seen your shoulder, Sir?” she then asked, looking at her own fingers, laced together. Her nails really needed to be trimmed. The tension between them was physical. He almost looked like he was going to shake off the chair, if he didn’t have more control. 

“Emlie saw it first,” he admitted. Which is why she left. The words hung in the air, unsaid and unwanted. Neither of them could really handle that accusation, either way. That She was the homewrecker. But she’d never heard about this happening before. 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” she whispered, her voice still clearly hurting. “I messed up our plan… And your goal.” Even if they didn’t want to talk about this, she had brought it up and forced their hands. She wouldn't let them not do that, after all. She wasn’t going to pussyfoot around. That wasn’t either of them. 

The laugh that he had was entirely too hollow, however. Her eyes cut to him, hearing that. 

“You don’t need to call me Sir,” he said, meeting her gaze. She finally noticed everything she had refused to see earlier. The blood now on his shirt from her fingernails. The fine lines were visible, and his hair was void of any product, looking unkempt and absolutely the vision of someone in the midst of grief. He was dressed in a shirt that was an old Jagged Stone band shirt, and it was abnormal for it to be the white version, but Gabriel of course was an owner. His bottoms were just some sleep pants, and he lacked any shoes. He was absolutely different than what she had ever seen before.

Nathalie took a breath, and the fact that he was so abnormal compared to normal offered her a little nope, that he was capable of change. She leant forward slightly, ignoring the pull her muscles screamed, and she moved her hand to his cheek. His hand was soon over hers, and his face leant into her.

“I cannot be what you want me to be, right now, Gaberiel.” her words offered her truth, soft, but absolutely firm. No room for argument. “I will still be your assistant, if you let me, but I need time. I gave up on me, on us, because you had only wanted Emilie back. You had wanted your first wife back…” She paused for a second. “I can’t be your second choice.” She was honest in her words, at least. Even if his eyes widened more than she had expected them to, she didn’t recant. “I need you to respect this limit. It’s just going to be for a little bit.” Her words offered a promise, but not a guarantee. 

“You waited for me to realize for years, Nathalie. I can wait awhile for you to be ready.”


	9. Bad Habit

Gabriel didn’t know how to continue his life, with Nathalie back. She didn’t fall back into her daily life instantly. She moved in with him, as when she had been akumatized, she very clearly didn’t continue with her rent payments, and no one had gotten in contact with her landlord. That was kind of how it would go, however. No one had ever been akumatized that long, after all. 

She wasn’t in his room, however. He hadn’t offered, and she hadn’t asked. That would be too much for her, and they both knew it. She was glad that he was respectful enough to not press her. 

Of course, that didn’t stop them from climbing into each other’s beds once night had fallen. They never spoke of the nights in the morning, about how Nathalie would press closer into his arms the moment she started to get cold, their conversations and plans and desires put on the table, open to the other without judgement. They never spoke about the kisses he would offer her tattoos, his signature, pulling her close by the arms around her waist. 

The largest thing Nathalie was scared of, however, was the day Markus came for her, to speak and figure out just what they were, now. She knew that they weren’t right for the other, and when they spoke, it would be hell. 

“Nathalie,” Markus said, his accent thick as he walked up to her. They were in the Foyer, their voices softly echoing. “I’m sorry that I showed up like this, with no warning… But I cannot wait for you to come to me any longer. I didn’t know if you were even alive, once Claremonde disappeared. I came here and…” His voice turned into a hiss at his next words. “That man claimed he didn’t know what was going on. I need to know if you’re going to come home with me.” 

She found herself looking down at her outfit, picking a bit of lint off her yellow sweater. She knew that she didn’t look anything like what he had remembered. She was still physically healing from her time, and she knew that he could see the weight loss. Her head turned, some of her hair moving over her shoulder, but she walked up to the man, the taps of her flats louder than they should have been. 

“I’ve been trying to think of what I should say.” Her eyes met his, and her shoulders dropped, forcing her normal confidence into her body. It wasn’t as if she was lying to him. 

“What did you figure out?” he asked, taking her hands in his, his voice soft. His fingers brushed over her knuckles, and she forced herself to breathe deeply. It wasn’t as if he was going to hurt her. She just hated that she was going to hurt him. 

“You’ve helped me with so much, for so long. You helped me when I needed someone to hold me up and keep me sane. I can’t thank you or repay you for that… But I can’t be with you. I’m sorry.” His hands slid out of hers, and he tensed his jaw for only a moment, holding his anger back. 

“Just like that…'' He took a breath. “You come back, after Hawkmoth akumatized you, without even messaging me, and move in with your boss… Only to try that?” He crossed his arms. “He’s your boss, Nathalie. You’re not dumb, are you?” Nathalie straightened, hearing that. She was willing to be called out when she was in the wrong, but to call her stupid over this, over the name on her back? There was no way she could stand for that. 

“No, and if you knew me, you’d know that.” Her face hardened, looking at him. It was clear that he was a big enough boy to take this rejection, if he was going to start calling her names. She had run half of the plots Gaberiel had done as Hawkmoth, after all. She wasn’t stupid, and she was quite angry that he would call her that. 

“Then what?” he challenged. “You’re in a relationship with your…” She cut him off, when he started the speculation. 

“No, Markus!” She took a breath to solidify her tone. “I’m not in a relationship. I lost my apartment when I was Claremonde, no one paid my rent. Gabriel was partly the cause of my transformation, he felt obligated to help my return. Unlike you.” Of course, the technicalities of how Gabriel was actually at fault wasn’t spoken of. 

“I waited. I tried to get in contact. You’re being dumb, Nathalie. I know you’re better than this.” He shook his head, unable to look at her again. 

“You clearly don’t know enough. I have worked for Mr Agreste for years at this point. He knows me better than you ever could have.” There was a moment of a breath. “I want you to know you did me a service, and I’m glad that we were together when we were.” He scoffed at that. “I’m going to officially break up with you, so you won’t continue to wait for me.” His lips pressed together. 

“Yeah, no shit.” He shook his head, before leaving the way he had come down. Nathalie didn’t move, and she lost track of time, standing in the middle of the room in silence, staring at the door. She was brought out of her head when she felt Gabriel’s hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t help holding it between her shoulder and head, pressing gently against him. He moved forward, his other hand to her shoulder. 

“Are you okay?” he softly asked, unwilling to let her go in these few moments. She took a breath, and took the moments she was able to, before turning around to him, looking him in the eyes. 

“I will be,” she promised, before looking away from him. “Somehow, I will be ok.” It was clear that he didn’t like that answer, but he didn’t force anything more from her at that moment. 

* * *

Gabriel Agreste was a smart man. He liked to think he was a strong, patient man, if a bit quick to anger. Usually, he thought that he was correct in his anger, though he was human, and it was more likely that he was too quick to anger. 

But it was already 10 in the evening, and he was thinking of the bottle he had sworn away. Nathalie was a little later than normal, when she showed up at night, meaning that she most likely wouldn’t be showing up to his bed. Which meant he could keep a night away from her, or go to her room. 

The thoughts were spinning around in his head, when he felt the bed behind him dip, and arms wrap around his middle, silk pressed against his nude back. 

“Are you ok?” Nathalie whispered against his neck, her face nuzzling under his ear. He didn’t even need to check who it was, knowing that Nathalie would be the only one who would be in his room. 

“I don’t know, Nathalie,” he whispered to her, taking a deep breath. “I’m trying to wait for you to be ready,” he admitted. “I really am, but it’s hard.” 

“I know,” she whispered back to him, taking a breath of his scent. “But I’m here for tonight.” she moved to pull his shoulder to the side, so he could turn around and look at her. She was wearing a nightie that he had designed, and all Gabriel could think about is having her model every line he did from now on. The design was fitted perfectly to her body, hugging every curve just how he had imagined it to in his dreams. Her hair was down, and he could just faintly see the edges of tattoos poking out of the silk. He could see more and more of the ink that had been hidden to him. The red and black vines and roses were familiar to him already. 

The skirt ended at the middle of her thigh, and there was ink that emulated lace on her thigh, and there was a small design on her calk, something that would almost have always been hidden by her pants, but it was absolutely beautiful, and as delicate as she was. He wanted nothing more than to trace each line of her artwork, but he forced himself to behave, getting into the bed next to her. 

“For the full night?” he murmured to her, adjusting the blankets around them. 

“I think so, Mr Agreste.” Her smile was slightly teasing, as she said it. 

“Come here,” he murmured to her, his arms open to her, holding up the blanket. She smiled, and rolled around so he could hold her, but she hadn’t gotten half way before he moved his hand to her shoulder, stopping her so her back was presented to him. He wasn’t looking at his signature, at all. He was looking at the moths that were tattooed down her back, four beautiful death head’s moths with their wings all spread differently, but the veins lined up to make a face, a lovely woman. His fingers moved along some of the lines, and he was unable to look at her. 

“When did you get this?” he whispered, his mind fearing the answer, just slightly. 

“Shortly after I found out you were hawkmoth,” she confessed, her voice soft. She took a breath. “Shortly after you told me what you were doing for emilie. THe artist was shocked I wanted that on my body, but… He eventually did.” She didn’t mention why he had changed his mind, however. Gabriel moved his hand to cover the top moth, and his head moved to her neck, breathing in her scent. 

“Thank you, Nathalie. I never questioned your loyalty.” his words were honest, at least. He pulled her close to him, his face slotting against hers, over her shoulder. His fingers were slowly moving along her side, when she spoke again. 

“I’m not quite ready for us to be romantic, Gabriel. But I am willing to do this.” She knew her words were against what she was doing, but that was ok. Wasn’t it? SO long as she had this. 

* * *

“Would you care for some Champagne?” His words were delicate against her neck. Soon enough, his hand offered her a flute of bubbles, and he moved away from her, denying himself the kiss he wanted to place on her neck. He was waiting for her to be ready, but he didn’t know just how to ask. He wanted her to be his, but he wasn’t going to press.

To him, Nathalie was the most beautiful thing that he had ever laid eyes on. Her dress was one of his creations, a long black velvet dress, with a plunging neckline, and an even deeper back. The skirt went to the floor, but her shiver proved that she was cold, and the long sleeves did nothing to help. Her moths on her back, and his signature, as well as the scars on her back, all were out in the open, with her hair up in a different twist than normal. 

“Thank you, Gabriel,” she responded, her fingers taking the delicate stem, twirling it for just a moment. Her lips were curved up at him, as she took a sip of the champagne. “The fireworks are about to start.” Her eyes were looking at the Eiffel Tower, as the lights glittered. He could see the light from the lamps below, lighting her up. It was the only light they had, for now, with how soon it was to midnight. 

“Nathalie?” he started, taking a sip from his glass to steel herself. “Can I kiss you at midnight?” He could faintly hear the people below, people he had hurt and akumatized so many times before. Only ten seconds, and he could feel so much passion for her at that moment. He was proud he was standing next to her, that she had helped him change so much. 

“Ten… Nine… Eight…” 

“I don’t think I want you to ask me that, Gabriel.”

“Are you saying no?” he whispered, their bodies closing in distance. 

“Four… Three.. Two…”

“Kiss me, Gabriel Agreste.” 

“Happy New Year!” and his lips were pressing against hers, his free hand at the small of her back, the other at her cheek. He pulled her body to his, pressing the large skirt against her body with the kiss. He didn’t hold anything back, yet his actions were exceedingly sweet, a slight shock to his desire. He loved her, and that was for sure, and he wanted the memory of this night to be perfect. 

Yet, as soon as the kiss started to deepen, Nathalie pulled away from him slightly, moving so their foreheads were pressing together, their noses touching. She smiled, and with her hand on his cheek, she brushed her thumb up and down on his cheek. 

“Only ask if you’re not going to kiss me like that,” she said. “You’re welcome to kiss me like that the rest of our lives.” She pecked his lips, and he quickly managed to kiss her back, his thumb brushing over the skin on her back. 

“Only then,” he agreed. His hand moved over her back, over her bum, and to her back, gentle. He leant down again, pressing together again. He pulled back, before long, listening to the sounds of pleasure below. 

“Happy new year, Nathalie,” Gabriel said, a promise to her. What of, he wasn’t quite sure, but he knew he would offer her the world and more if she only asked him. He had already moved the world for his ex-wife, he only could only imagine what he’d do for his soul mate. Her response was soft, and just as sweet and full of promises.

“Happy new year, Gabriel.”

* * *

He felt the sun against his skin, but he pulled her closer, taking a deep breath. He didn’t want to move, but Nathalie forced his choice, as he felt her body stretch, before rolling over to face him. Her eyes slowly opened to look at him. Her fingers moved to his lips, slowly tracing his upper lip. It moved to his jaw, tracing the lines. She felt the roughness from the lack of shaving, and she couldn’t den she really enjoyed the feeling of the rough hair. His hand moved to her hair, slowly running through the silky locks. 

“I’m ready, Gabriel,” she whispered, soon enough. “Thank you for your patience.” she smiled, and kissed him, before pulling away slightly. “If you’re ready, that is.” She bit her lip slightly, worried. 

“I am,” he quickly responded, barely enough time for her to worry. He pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. “I’m always ready for you.” 

“Then I expect a date,” she replied, her voice stern. “It's not easy to get me into bed.” They quickly laughed, and he kissed her nose. His voice was much deeper than normal, a warm, firm sound against her. 

“I don’t expect you to be,” he responded. “I’ll never expect you to be.” she smiled, and pressed her lips to his chest. 

“I only expect you to always love me,” she whispered to him. 


	10. Junk of the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their wedding, you made it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't wait until tuesday and I didn't want to finish draft two so if quality suddenly falls... my bad. I suck at fluff.

Gabriel’s fingers were light over Nathalie’s back, over the scars from the Miraculous, and the lines of her tattoos. It was the only things marking her back, other than his name, but he loved every single inch. He leant forward and kissed the lower moths, before leaning his head against her back. He could feel the hard, knotted lines on his love’s back. He hated every inch, knowing what it was that caused that pain. Even now, years later, they were all angry. He moved his fingers over the bit of tattoo he could see, careful on each movement. 

He knew that touching each mark wasn’t harmful in any way to Nathalie, but it almost felt like it hurt him. 

His movements were soft, yet they still woke Nathalie a little. She moved so she was facing him, pushing him down for a moment so she could curl tightly into his side, tangling their legs. Automatically, her hand moved under his shirt, gently rubbing his chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her, keeping her close. She pressed tighter into him, humming gently in contentment. She looked extremely comfortable. 

“Go back to bed,” he murmured to her. He could feel the smile of her lips against his chest.

“I don’t want to miss time with you. We have so much to catch up on.” 

“We can do that at a reasonable time,” he responded, smiling at her actions. It didn’t even matter that she couldn’t see him. Her fingers pressed into him, to get closer to him still. 

“Or what? I’ll be stuck in the couple’s cloak with you?” she giggled, and he couldn't help joining his laughter in as well. 

“Why, when I have you perfectly trapped in here?” His lips moved to her cheek, before moving to roll her onto her back, hovering over her. 

“A good point,” she agreed, but laughed softly. She leant up, and pecked him on the nose. 

“Would you let me keep you here for the rest of your life?” he murmured, moving his lips to kiss down her neck, gentle as could be.

“You’d fall apart without me,” she replied, though allowing every instance of love to press into her. Her sigh was soft, and she pulled him close, preferring their bodies flush. She felt his laugh against her back, and she stretched slightly against his lips. 

“That I would,” he agreed, smiling against her. His arms tightened for just a moment. 

Nathatlie hummed a little in satisfaction, before sighing softly. 

“I don’t want to get up,” Nathalie murmured to him. 

“Weren’t you just complaining about going back to bed?” Gabriel replied, and she pushed his shoulder back a little, giggling. She shivered a little, when a brush of cold air came through the window. 

“Going to sleep,” she corrected. “Fine difference, Sir.” 

He chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest. 

“I will give you that,” he replied. “You just want to stay in bed with me for the entire day?” he suggested, brushing her hair back. She moved so either leg was on either side of his hips, and laid so their torsos were flush. 

“That does sound like a good day,” she responded. “I’d love to only see you for an entire day.” 

“Maybe we could go to a beach one day,” he suggested. “Our travels take us everywhere as it is… We could take an extra day, couldn’t we?” His fingers were brushing over her spin, humming softly a tune that he never remembered learning. 

"I think we're going to the south of Spain soon," Nathalie replied, humming softly. "We can go to the sea… see if Adrien wants to tag along with us." 

In the past years, Nathalie had managed to reach out to Adiren and make amends for everything that had happened. Adrien hadn't allowed them to come to his wedding, and Nathalie was glad. Both of them would have had to be walking on eggshells to ensure that neither would get angry. It was too soon, and they weren't going to allow it to ruin his day. Not to mention, Sabine had set up a video camera that allowed Nathalie and Gabriel to watch, record, and allow Adrien to enjoy his day without knowledge of them watching. 

Adrien and Marinette ended up having twins their first go around, one boy and one girl, and four years later, a daughter. There hadn't been any issues with her pregnancies, and though she never fully forgave either of them, she did stop by every Sunday for the four, then six, and then seven, of them to have lunch, with some pastry she had picked up at her parents bakery the day before. She was soon absorbed into his company, and she proved herself just as much as anyone else did. 

"If Adrien tags along, we'd need to take Marinette and their children." Gabriel pointed out, and Nathalie nodded over his chest. Her hands moved to either side of his head, pushing herself up, to look him in the eyes. His hands moved over her lower back. 

"Why don't we go get married when we go to Spain?" She asked. "No one has to know. We'll be there anyway due to the show. It's romantic." 

"Running away to get married?" Nathalie shook her head. 

"Having such a romantic vacation that we had to get married. No one knows we're together, after all." In some way. Somehow they had managed to keep her silent, even as she never left the mansion. Usually she pretended her work Was keeping her much longer than normal. She wouldn't need to lie, from now on. She smiled at him, and leaned down slowly to kiss him, moving from her hands to her elbows. 

"I love you, Gabriel," she murmured to him, smiling with joy. 

"I love you, Nathalie." After. Second, he leant over to the side of the bed, got a small box from his drawer,and then resettled under her. "I was going to ask you a little more romantic circumstances," he said, smiling at her. 

"Yes, Gabriel," she said, and softly laughed. “Of course I’ll marry you.” she leant down, and kissed his lips. “But you need to ask me in a much more romantic place.” He laughed, a deep sound, and kissed her again. 

“I will,” he promised, before rolling her over and pressing her into the bed. 

* * *

“Nathalie Sancoeur,” he said, looking up at the woman with hope in his eyes. “I have loved you before I even opened my eyes to see that I loved you. You have always been the one who has helped me through everything that I needed, everything that I could have ever tried to ask for. I thought, before, I could be happy, but I’ve found that happiness that I have always searched for with you. You’ve been the most beautiful part of my life, in any hardest times, and I hope that I can start to repay this debt in some way, to you. Will you marry me?”

“Gabriel Agreste,” she responded, smiling at him. “I would be honored to be your wife.” He smiled, and moved the ring from the box to her finger, before standing up. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and his arms moved around her waist, spinning her as they kissed. 

* * *

Her dress was fitted perfectly. They didn’t have many people, other than Adrien and his family. Thankfully, it was intimate and of the people who were there, she was entirely comfortable. Everyone around her were people she knew well, and though no one was being overly boisterous, everyone was in good cheer. Nathalie moved a length of hair back, looking over her body. 

She was beautiful. Even she had to agree. Her long princess style dress was a deep red, like the highlight in her hair that never really seems to go away. Her hair was pulled up into an elegant updo, and her veil was tucked into her hair. Under the light chiffon was a beautiful hair piece, a gift from Audry. Something old was the ring she would have, a gift from her great grandmother. 

“Something new,” Audry had explained when she passed the chains to the other woman. 

“Something Borrowed,” Nadja said, offering a simple ruby necklace. 

“Something blue,” Marinette said, smiling at her soon to be mother in law. The simple garter was a tradition, and the pink on Marinette’s cheeks showed she was nervous about giving that to her. 

“Thank you, all of you.” Nathalie gave them each hugs, before pulling away and taking a deep breath. There was a knock on the door, and Adrien poked through the door. 

“I’m sorry, ladies,” he said. “It’s time.” Nathalie looked into the mirror one last time, and Audry offered her the bouquet. 

“It’s time,” Nathalie agreed, knowing she would at last be Nathalie Agreste in a short time. 


End file.
